MESA, Ariz. (Dec. 29, 2018) – Brigitte Dunne took over the lead at the Arizona Silver Belle when she managed to avoid making a single bogey all day at Longbow Golf Club. Dunne, a senior at SMU, made three birdies on the front nine, then closed the back nine with all pars for a 3-under 68.

Dunne, who hails from Camarillo, Calif., reached 4 under for the tournament, which was good enough to give her a one-shot advantage on fellow California native Ashely Shim entering the final round. Dunne won this event in 2016.

Shim gained considerable ground on the leaderboard when she fired a 6-under 65. It was the best round of the day by three shots. Shim went 4 under in her final six holes. She had top-10 finishes this year at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship and the California Women’s Amateur Championship.

Alabama’s Kenzie Wright, the 2015 Silver Belle champion, and Julie Ju, the first-round leader, are tied for third at 1 under. Wright logged a 1-over 72 in the second round and Ju had a 74.

ROUND 1

Julie Ju came out of the gate at the Arizona Silver Belle hot enough to set up her whole day. The Chandler, Ariz., local went 4 under on the front nine at Longbow Golf Club, then threw out nine consecutive pars on the back nine. She leads the tournament at 4-under 67.

Ju, 18, set up a two-shot lead at the long-running women’s amateur event in Arizona. Behind her, Waverly Whiston, Kenzie Wright and Sophie Zhang-Murphy all posted rounds of 2-under 69 to land in a tie for second.

Whiston is a sophomore at Tennessee who hails from San Diego. Wright is a junior at Alabama, and last week finished third at the Dixie Women’s Amateur. She won this event in 2015 with a come-from-behind performance.

Three players are tied for fifth after a 1-under 70 at Longbow. That includes Ellen Secor, the Colorado State player who made up one half of the winning U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball duo last spring. Briana Chacon, a talented junior golfer from Whittier, Calif., and Brigitte Dunne, a standout SMU senior, are also at that number. Chacon was fifth at the Silver Belle in 2017.

Prominent amateur golf tournament for junior girls
and women 13 - 23 years of age who compete over
54 holes of stroke play. The field is flighted by age,
but the overall champion may come from any age
group.

Joanne Winter, one of 14 original
Master Professionals in the LPGA's Teaching and
Club
Professional Division, founded the Arizona Silver
Belle 1971. Winter was a noted athlete before
beginning her love affair with golf. She pitched with
the Racine Belles in the All-American Girls
Professional Baseball League from 1943-50 and later
served as a consultant for the film, "A League Of
Their Own," which chronicled the women's league.
After retiring from the diamond, she turned to golf
and won the Arizona State Women's Championship
in
1962.

Entrants must provide a USGA Handicap
Index
of 15.0 or lower and supply a
resume of tournament scores and other
information as required by the golf
registration
system. The selection process is based
upon
this information and national ranking.